First Flight
by Kuruk
Summary: Pit had felt inadequate about his inability to fly until Lady Palutena reassured him of his uniqueness.


_Notes: My friend Curimuch has been trying to get me into _Kid Icarus _for a while now... After enduring pic-spams of "Mamatena" and little Pit, I gave in._

_Characters: Pit + Palutena, Medusa._

_Warnings: speculation._

_Disclaimer: I do not own _Kid Icarus: Uprising_, nor do I seek to profit from this story in any form. All mistakes are my own._

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_**First Flight**_

From his position on the ground, Pit tucked his knees into his chest and watched as the other angels took flight.

It was the morning of the autumn equinox, and the skies over Angel Land were filled with young angels. Centurions watched from overhead, their gazes ever vigilant as the former hatchlings learned to get their bearings. Most of them were cautious, only flying high enough to skim the lowest of clouds; others, however, were already imitating their instructors clumsily in basic evasive maneuvers.

While his own hatchmates had taken to the sky four years prior, Pit's wings were not yet strong enough to support him in flight. They were much too small, their feathered tips barely extending past his shoulders. The rest of his body seemed to follow this troubling pattern as well; he was barely taller than a human toddler when, at his age, he should have resembled an adolescent.

Pit may have been young and prone to being dense, but even he realized that he was different from the other angels. It wasn't just his troubling lack of physical development either: when he was hurt during training, he cried; when the captain of the guard tripped over his misplaced toys while on his rounds, Pit was overcome with effervescent, guilty giggles. Whenever he gained even a fraction of an inch in height, Pit was filled with a joy so great he could hardly contain it.

And yet while his hatchmates were to be sworn into the Goddess of Light's service in a few months' time, he would remain with the youngest of hatchlings to repeat the most basic of lessons until his wings grew. He wasn't teased for this – the other angels seemed to lack the sense of humor he possessed – but he felt inadequate all the same.

Pit was so consumed by these feelings of inadequacy that he didn't notice the goddesses until he heard their voices.

"We are goddesses and daughters of the almighty Zeus!" Lady Medusa hissed. "How dare that decrepit, old crone presume to bar us from Olympus?"

Pit tensed at the sound of her voice. Hurriedly, he got to his feet and started dusting off the dirt from his robes.

"Now Medusa," Lady Palutena said levelly, "you know that our stepmother hasn't quite forgiven us for outsmarting her that one time." She sounded proud as she added, "Or – well – simply _existing_."

The Goddess of Darkness snorted derisively. "Hera fears me, as she well should. Why, if I had the chance I would -"

"Be mindful of what you say," the Lady Palutena interrupted. "Hatred is unbecoming of a goddess."

They were rounding the corner of the gardens when Medusa said, "Ah, yes. I do apologize, Miss Know-it-all Palutena." Her tone was sarcastic, angry. "Why don't I just prostrate myself to the both of –"

"L-Lady P-P-Palutena!" Pit stuttered, snapping into a salute.

The goddesses looked at him, surprised by his presence. Lady Palutena was the first to recover. She smiled kindly at him. "Hello, Pit."

Pit beamed back at her and puffed out his chest, proud at being acknowledged.

"Will you not acknowledge me, hatchling?" Medusa snapped. She turned to face her sister, her expression thunderous. "Do you not teach your servants manners, Palutena?"

Pit felt his heart plummet into his stomach at the sound of her words, the proud feeling abating all too quickly. "I-I –"

But Palutena waved his apology off. "Leave him be, Medusa. I'm sure he meant no disrespect." She winked at him conspiratorially, like it was a joke only the two of them were privy to. "Right, Pit?"

He nodded vehemently. "Y-yeah!"

Medusa sneered at them both before turning on her wheel and walking away, her black hair whipping through the air with the movement. He watched her go, the tension in his shoulders fading as the distance between them grew.

When she was out of earshot, Lady Palutena sighed. "I apologize for Medusa's behavior, Pit. She's been... troubled lately."

Pit shook his head. "N-no, there's no need for y-you to apologize, Lady Palutena!"

Palutena tilted her head to the side, a grin spreading along her fair features. "No," she agreed. "I suppose there isn't." A moment of silence passed between them as Palutena turned her gaze upward to observe the other angels in flight. "How long have you been sitting here?" she asked.

Her tone was knowing, and Pit was sure that she already knew the answer. "N-not that long," he replied, his gaze downcast.

Another silent moment passed before Palutena said, "You feel ashamed." It was a statement, not a question.

Pit didn't even bother trying to cover it up. He kept his gaze on the ground.

Palutena took a step toward him, and her sandaled feet came into his line of sight. "There's no need for you to feel ashamed, Pit."

He couldn't hold back his outburst. "B-but, I'm almost _five_ and I still look like a hatchling!" He gestured hopelessly at his wings, which he fluttered a little. They hardly kicked up a breeze. "I'll never be able to fly with these…."

"You do know that I was the one who created you, right? Are you doubting my design?"

Pit looked up quickly, a mortified apology springing to his lips. "N-no, of course not Lady Palutena!" At the sight of the Goddess's teasing smile, however, he let the tail end of the apology he had planned die in his throat.

Palutena inclined her head, her eyes closed. "Go ahead and ask me. I know you must want to hear my reasoning."

He considered. "I – I..." It was hardly proper, but she _had_ just given him permission to inquire…. "W-why did you make me so different?"

The Goddess of Light's smile widened. "You just answered that question yourself, Pit."

Okay, he was confused. "Huh?"

Palutena laughed and bent her knees to kneel and meet his eyes. "You asked me _why_. You can question my decisions and help me make the right ones. The best follower isn't always the one that follows his leader unquestioningly, Pit. Sometimes it takes something extra." She reached forward and tapped her manicured index finger to his chest, right over his heart. "That's what makes you special."

Pit blinked, his eyes prickling with pride and gratitude. "I…" he began.

"And it gets a little boring not having someone to tease." She winked at him again. "It's hardly any fun to do that to a centurion, you know."

He didn't know whether to feel honored or victimized. "Lady Palutena!" he whined, his tone only a little petulant.

The Goddess of Light laughed and patted the crown of his head gently before rising to her feet.

Pit's doubts were not completely allayed, however. "But…" he began, "how will I ever be a good follower if I can't fly to protect you?"

Palutena smiled again. "Have you ever known me not to plan ahead, Pit? I have just the remedy for that."

He felt excitement bubble up in his chest. "You do?" He bounced on his toes, unable to contain it. "What is it? What is it? _Please_ tell me, Lady Palutena!"

She tapped at her chin daintily, considering. "Oh, I don't know if you're ready…."

Pit's bounces only grew in height and enthusiasm. "I am! I am! Please show me!"

"Oh, alright," she said. "But you only have a minute, okay?"

"Okay! Okay!"

Palutena laughed, closed her eyes, and suddenly Pit felt something warm and tingly spread through his wings. Gasping, he turned to look at them and found that they were alight with blue magic.

"_Wow_ –"

And then he was rising, his tiny wings carrying him off the ground and into the air, higher and higher, past even the most adventurous of the young angels. The wind whipped through his hair and against his eyes, but Pit didn't care. He was _flying_, actually and finally _flying._

"See?" Lady Palutena's voice said directly into his head. "I told you I always plan ahead."

"_This is so awesome!_" Pit yelled, extending his arms to skim the fluffy edge of a cloud.

Palutena's laughter rang in his head and mixed with his own as he darted in between clouds. Feeling adventurous, he opened his mouth to taste the sweet air of the heavens.

His flight only lasted a minute before the Goddess of Light guided him back to Angel Land, but Pit knew then that flying was something he was born for. The feeling of the wind beneath his wings and the comforting feeling of Lady Palutena's magic enveloping them chased any doubt from his mind: he was truly an angel of Sky World.

The sky was where he belonged after all.

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_A/N: I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for taking the time to read this! Feedback and reviews are always appreciated!_


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